Opinion & Analysis

First, a gripe. Then, we can discuss less dreary topics.
Bedford County high schools will conduct their graduation ceremonies on May 23. That’s less than six weeks away.
State high school spring sports championships will wrap up on June 13.
I believe something is backwards here.

Which esteemed hall contains more rogues and rascals: the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or the Basketball Hall of Fame?
While the former contains the likes of Alice Cooper, the Beastie Boys and The Clash, a recent inductee to the latter might have you scratching your head.
As a wrap-up to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, the hoops HOF announced its most recent electees for membership.

As the editor of the Bedford Bulletin’s sports pages, I strive to deliver a quality product. That quality is defined by proper use of the English language. “Ah,” you might mutter. “Isn’t it game scores you should be focused on?”
To which I’d respond, “Ha! You ended that sentence with a preposition.”

Ah, April Fools. ‘Tis a day designated for trickery and tomfoolery. It’s the one day of the year we get a free pass on pulling the wool over the eyes of our fellow humans.

That is, unless you happen to work for the Bedford Bulletin.

The boss, citing such trite phrases as “journalistic integrity,” “telling the truth” and “I’ll fire your fanny if you go through with this cockamamie scheme of yours,” put the kibosh on my brilliant idea.

Rule #1 for sports journalists is not to be a part of the story.
There are other rules, such as being accurate, being fair and being thorough.
But, you don’t want to be a part of the story. That means you don’t want to impact the game in any way.

In economics, there’s a term called demand elasticity. Basically, this term is used to measure the change in demand for an item in response to the change in its price.
When demand drops significantly with a slight change in an item’s price, there is said to be great demand elasticity.
Similarly, when demand stays strong even in the face of a significant increase in price, that item is said to have low demand elasticity or to be inelastic.

It causes me great sadness to see the great Ernie Banks dragged through the posthumous muck and mire.
“Mister Cub” was a boyhood idol of mine. He was one of the main reasons I continued to like the team, particularly after I’d outgrown my toddler affinity for the bear cub worn on the players’ sleeves.
Unfortunately, the dignity with which he carried himself in life has so far eluded him in the afterlife.

I’m hopeful Governor Terry McAuliffe breaks out the veto pen.
And, I’m hoping the governor vetoes what is commonly known as “The Tebow Bill.”
This legislation recently passed both houses of the Virginia legislature. As originally passed in the House of Delegates, the law would open the way for homeschooled children across the commonwealth to participate in sports and other extracurricular activities at their local public schools.

I’m not a small man. Never have been.
True, some may accuse me of having a small heart or a small mind.
But never a small body.
That’s why I was stunned when the wife returned from her shopping foray with a packet of tee-shirts for me.